Where we Work

We work primarily in south-eastern Tanzania, where there are still substantial stocks of mpingo. Much of our work is focused in Kilwa District, where we started engaging with PFM back in 2004, but today we are expanding to neighbouring districts, including Rufiji District to the north and Liwale District to the west.

This part of Tanzania is incredibly poor. Historically it was cut off from the rest of country every rainy season due to poor roads. When the Rufiji river to the north flooded the weakest link - the ferry crossing - would be severed. This isolation served to protect the region's forests. (See here for more.)

The Mkapa Bridge was opened in 2003, and the road to Dar es Salaam is nearly completely tarmacked now. These and other infrastructure improvements have brought substantial development benefits to the region, but this opening up also threatens the forests, and illegal logging boomed in 2004-5. MCDI is thus engaged in a race against time to protect the regions forests before they are decimated by illegal logging, charcoal and other destructive forces.